Conversation topic 2 - Skills

 2- Skills

What is a very important skill a person should learn to be successful in the professional world today? Choose two skills and give specific reasons why this skill is important to a successful career.

Agreeing and Disagreeing:

_ I don’t think so I’m afraid I disagree Not necessarily I’d say the opposite I disagree I tend to disagree

+ You are absolutely right Exactly You have a point I agree with you 100% Absolutely

                                                                                                                            

9 Skills You Need to Succeed at Almost Anything - adapted from Lifehack.com

What does it take to succeed? A positive attitude? Well, sure, but that’s not enough.  This  idea might act as a starter to action, but without the action itself, it doesn’t do much.

Success requires action, and taking good and appropriate action demands skills. Some of these skills are taught in school. Others are taught on the job, and still others we learn from general life experience.

Below is a list of general skills that will help anyone get ahead in practically any field, from running a company to running their own business.

1. 1. Public Speaking

The ability to speak clearly and persuasively in front of an audience – whether an audience of 1 or of thousands – is one of the most important skills anyone can develop. People who are effective speakers become more comfortable with themselves, more confident, and more attractive to be around. Being able to speak effectively means you can sell anything – products, of course, but also ideas, ideologies, worldviews. And yourself – which means more opportunities for career improvement, bigger customers, or business funding.  

2. Writing

Writing well offers many of the same advantages that speaking well offers: good writers are better at selling products, ideas, and themselves than poor writers. Learning to write well involves not just being good at grammar but the development of the ability to organize one’s thoughts into a coherent form and target it to an audience in the most effective way possible. If you are comfortable with dealing with texts and words, you are likely to have opened doors in every field.

3. Self-Management

If success depends on effective action, effective action depends on the ability to focus your attention where it is most needed, when it is needed most. Strong organizational skills, effective productivity habits, and a strong sense of discipline are needed to keep yourself on track.

4. Networking

Networking is not only for finding jobs or clients. In an economy dominated by ideas and innovation, networking creates the channel through which ideas flow and in which new ideas are created. A large network, carefully cultivated, creates a group of connected people. The interactions of those relationships make possible an improvement in innovation and creativity.

5. Critical Thinking

We are exposed to hundreds, if not thousands of daily information than our great-grandparents were. Being able to evaluate that information, sort the valuable from the useless, analyze its relevance and meaning, and relate it to other information is crucial. Good critical thinking skills immediately distinguish you from the mass of people these days.

6. Decision-Making

The bridge that leads from analysis to action is effective decision-making – knowing what to do based on the information available. While not being critical can be dangerous, being an over-analyzing person is not also ideal. Reaching a balance here is crucial. Being able to act and respond quickly and effectively is what separates the doers from the wannabes.

7. Math

You don’t have to be an expert at polynomials to be successful. However, the ability to quickly work with figures in your head and to make accurate estimates gives you a big lead on most people. All of these skills will help you to analyze data more effectively – and more quickly – and to make better decisions based on it.

8. Research

Nobody can be expected to know everything, or even a tiny fraction of everything. Even within your field, chances are there’s far more that you don’t know than you do know. You don’t have to know everything – but you should be able to quickly and painlessly find out what you need to know. That means learning to use the Internet effectively, learning to use a library, learning to read productively, and learning how to improve your network– and what kinds of research are going to work best in any given situation.

9. Relaxation

Stress will not only kill you, it leads to poor decision-making, poor thinking, and poor socialization. So if you fail to relax, you knock out at least three of the skills in this list – and really more. Plus, working yourself to death, and not having any time to enjoy the fruits of your work, isn’t really “success”. It’s obsession. Being able to face even the most difficult crises in the most productive way is possibly the most important thing on this list.

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-skills-you-need-to-succeed-at-almost-anything.html 

Opinion.

 

·    Be critical about each point in the list:

·    Do you agree with your colleagues?

·    Do you agree with the list? Why?

·    Choose three skills that you think you have. Discuss with a partner.

·    Choose three skills that you think you need to improve at. Discuss with a partner.

·    What other skills could be mentioned here?

·    Suppose you are an employee, what skills are necessary?

·    Suppose you have your own business, what skills are necessary?

·                     Suppose you are a public employee, what skills are necessary?

·    Suppose you are an athlete, what skills are necessary?